Sardinia celebrates the sea urchin in a unique festival

Sardinia is well known for its love for food – and for a celebration – making it the home of some of Italy’s most interesting food festivals. These can range from the more traditional food festivals, celebrating wares such as bread and wine, to the downright unusual celebrating delicacies such as artichokes and even snails.

Ricci sea urchin food festival Sardinia luxury holidays Essential Italy

La Festa de Ricci, a culinary celebration of the sea urchin (ricci in Italian), falls into the latter category, and takes place annually each April. It is hosted in the west coast village of Buggerru, a small port and former mining site.

Before the crowds are invited to try the local delicacy, there are a host of artisan stalls promoting their wares to browse, selling goods such as kitchenware, jewellery and woodwork.

Once the volunteers have finished cleaning and cooking up the freshly caught sea urchins, it’s time to tuck into a feast of ricci, pasta with ricci sauce, octopus tempura and wine. Sardinia is well known for its exceptional seafood cuisine, so a chance to try a more unusual dish such as this should not be missed.

If you’re staying with us on Sardinia luxury holidays, events such as this are an excellent way to not only sample the local cuisine, but also to learn more about the relaxed Sardinian way of life.

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